Berbere (Spice Mix)

Berbere is a spice mix or seasoning used extensively in African nations of Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is a key ingredient in these cuisines and is used in almost all the recipes to flavor the food.

The key ingredients of the spice mix are chili pepper, ginger, garlic, onion, fenugreek, allspice and few more spices. As with any recipe, there are many versions online, however above mentioned are a must.

I followed the recipe from cooking channel and adjusted a few ingredients or suit my palate. I used less nutmeg and allspice, and have listed the actually measures in the recipe along with the quantity I used. Except the chili peppers (New Mexican chili powder, Cayenne and paprika), most of the ingredients are easily available in any well stocked Indian pantry.

Source: Cooking Channel

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp. New Mexico Chili Powder
• 2 tbsp. Paprika
• 1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp. Ginger Powder
• 1 tsp. Salt
• ¼ tsp. Garlic Powder
• ¼ tsp. Onion Powder
• ¼ tsp. Nutmeg Powder (I used a dash, 1/16 tsp)
• 1 tsp. Black Cardamom Seeds (I used cardamom seeds from Indian store)
• 1 tsp. Coriander Seeds
• 1 tsp. Fenugreek Seeds
• ½ tsp. Whole Spice (I used 1/16 tsp)
• 2 Cloves
• ¼” – ½” cinnamon Stick

Preparation:

• Take first 8 ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
• Take cardamom seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cloves and cinnamon in a pan and dry roast it on medium to low flame until seeds are aromatic and roasted.
• Cool the spices and ground to fine powder.
• Add the mixture of first eight ingredients to spice blender and blend it along with dry roasted spice mix powder. Or combine dry roasted spice mix powder with other spice powders and mix to combine.
• Store in an airtight container.

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